UNI grabbed a 28 point lead very early in the first quarter and they decided to continue where they left off going through every play of their playbook.
UNI almost pulled off a second straight shut-out, something they haven't done before. It was a mis-covered wide receiver that broke the back of the UNI defense as they were only able to hold on to a shut-out for 7 quarters. Ole Miss scored with :52 left in the fourth quarter.
The player of the game was listed as left end Eric Sampson but Coach Pelini decided to give the game ball to kicker Jason Johnson. Not only was he 3 for 3 in the game but he now has the longest field goal this year by any team which was a 56 yard field goal kicked in the third quarter. Pelini said, "I am going to be sad to see Jason graduate but I know he will be a great kicker in the NFL! He is the leading candidate right now for the Groza Award and after today's game it should be locked up for him. Both of our kickers are seniors this year so we are going to be desperate to find a kicker at the end of the season. I'm hoping that we can find just as good as a kicker as Jason was during the off-season."
Leading UNI rusher Steve Jackson continues to impress with 108 yards and two touchdowns.
With the win, UNI goes to 7-1 in the conference and wins the SEC West outright. They will face #1 and undefeated Florida Gators in the SEC Conference championship will be announced in a couple of weeks.
Next week, UNI travels to Ames, IA to face the #87 Iowa State Cyclones.